Just as Chen Qiaoer was about to put a bun in her mouth, she heard Chen Ermao’s voice from the doorway.
"Oh, you're already eating meat buns. Looks like you've really got lucky with women."
Hearing his commotion, Qiaoer immediately hid behind Chen Xiaobei, looking at Chen Ermao nervously.
Chen Xiaobei, however, showed no fear. He puffed out his chest and stepped forward, asking in a deep voice, "Chen Ermao, you said three days. It's not even up yet."
Chen Ermao laughed heartily, "No rush, no rush. It doesn't matter if the time is up. We've agreed, you can have her even without the silver."
As Chen Ermao spoke, his eyes deliberately flicked towards Chen Qiaoer.
Chen Xiaobei stepped forward again, blocking Chen Qiaoer and roaring fiercely, "Chen Ermao, you remember this. If you ever have ideas about Qiaoer again, I'll fight you to the death."
Ermao chuckled and waved his hand, "Brother Xiaobei, don't be so hasty. I came to talk to you about another business deal."
Chen Xiaobei was momentarily confused about Chen Ermao's true intentions.
"Go ahead," he said.
Chen Ermao chuckled, "You know, Cui Hongyu has already killed three men. No one in the ten-mile radius dares to marry her. Why don't you take her dowry and sell her to me?"
"Besides, she's already been kicked out of the Cui family. Even if she disappears, I believe Cui Fugui won't come looking for you!"
This was utterly ridiculous. First he set his sights on my sister, and now he's eyeing my potential wife.
Chen Xiaobei was furious, "Chen Ermao, let me tell you, it's not even a definite thing between me and Cui Hongyu yet. Even if she does become my wife, she will be my woman, Chen Xiaobei's woman. I'd rather eat chaff and swallow weeds than sell my own woman."
Chen Ermao looked at Chen Xiaobei with surprise and confusion.
If he refused to sell Chen Qiaoer, it could be explained as her being his sister. But Cui Hongyu? She was someone unrelated to him, and a woman known to be a jinx to her husbands.
He couldn't understand why Chen Xiaobei was getting so angry with him over such a woman.
"Alright, I really didn't expect Brother Xiaobei to be such a loyal and righteous man. I'll pretend I never said anything."
Watching Chen Ermao leave, Chen Xiaobei felt uneasy.
He hadn't even resolved Chen Qiaoer's situation, and now Chen Ermao was setting his sights on Cui Hongyu. It was true, he and Cui Hongyu hadn't even reached the "eight strokes" stage yet.
But soon, that "stroke" arrived. After eating her fill of buns, Chen Qiaoer contentedly climbed into her bed and dozed off. Chen Xiaobei leaned against the big locust tree to cool himself.
Just then, the village chief arrived.
The village chief's name was Chen Anbang.
By relation, Chen Xiaobei had to call him "Grandpa Second Uncle." "Grandpa Second Uncle, why have you come? Please sit."
Hearing the commotion, Qiaoer came out of the house with a three-legged stool and placed it in front of Chen Anbang.
"Grandpa Second Uncle, please sit."
Chen Anbang smiled, patted Qiaoer's head, then took the stool and sat down. He looked at Chen Xiaobei with a smile.
"Xiaobei, your parents left early. You and your sister have suffered these past few years."
Chen Xiaobei didn't understand the village chief's intentions and could only offer a perfunctory response.
Without much preamble, Chen Anbang got to the point. "I heard your second aunt, Xiu Mei, say that you've already agreed to marry into the Cui family."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei felt he had no way to express his distress. When did I agree? I never agreed.
"Grandpa Second Uncle, actually I..." SUDAN NOVEL NETWORK
Before he could finish, Chen Anbang interrupted him again, "I know Hongyu is also an unfortunate girl."
"But don't worry, I found a fortune teller who calculated for you. Your fate is very strong, you'll be fine. Trust me."
Chen Xiaobei truly couldn't understand why everyone was suddenly so concerned about his marriage, and why they insisted it had to be with Cui Hongyu.
"Grandpa Second Uncle, you know my family's situation. It's already hard enough for me and Qiaoer to get by. How can I possibly take a wife?"
"Besides, we only have two mu of land. It's not even enough for the two of us to eat. If Cui Hongyu comes, three mouths won't be enough."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Chen Anbang smiled slightly, "Old Cui said that if there are any difficulties, you can go to him anytime. He's willing to help you out completely."
The more favorable the conditions, the more suspicious the situation became.
"Grandpa Second Uncle, can I think about this for a while?"
Unexpectedly, Chen Anbang stood up, "No need to think about it. You don't have parents, so the village decides. I've already agreed to this on your behalf."
"Oh, and Cui Hongyu will move into your home three days from now. You should tidy up. I'll send some people to help you clean the yard later."
There's a demon behind every abnormality. Whether it was his second aunt from the west neighbor or the village chief Chen Anbang, everyone was determined to marry Cui Hongyu into their home. Why was this so?
He couldn't figure it out for now, but it didn't seem important. What was important was that he still had to catch wild pheasants tonight. He hadn't accumulated the two taels of silver yet.
He still took Chen Qiaoer to Da Chun's house and hurried to set up his ambush before it got dark.
He took a few wild eggs from several nests again. Only by reducing the number of eggs could the wild pheasants become agitated.
Clearly, the wild pheasants were smarter than he thought. It wasn't until long after dark that a few pairs of small bright spots quietly appeared in the distant grass.
About three or four wild pheasants returned to their habitat and began to wander around.
Chen Xiaobei immediately understood. The wild pheasants were indeed smart; they had sent out scouts. These three or four pheasants were here to scout.
After these wild pheasants wandered for about fifteen minutes, they seemed to feel no danger, and then began to cluck.
Soon, dozens of pairs of small bright spots appeared in the distant grass. The flock of wild pheasants finally returned.
However, when the wild pheasants discovered that their eggs were missing, they began to mill about aimlessly, just like last night.
It was clear their intelligence was limited after all.
But this time, Chen Xiaobei didn't rush to act.
He was better prepared than last night. Besides a net, he also had a stone in his hand.
Seeing the flock of wild pheasants in chaos, he threw the stone towards the most densely populated area.
The already chaotic flock of wild pheasants immediately scattered in all directions, flapping their wings and jumping wildly.
Everything went as he predicted. More than a dozen wild pheasants, in their panic, rushed under the tree. There was no time to hesitate.
Chen Xiaobei cast his net over them.
He managed to catch at least three or four. Then, using his hands and feet, he secured two more.
Tonight's catch was even greater than last night's. He caught a total of five.
Chen Xiaobei was overjoyed. At three hundred and fifty coins per pheasant, selling five would bring in a substantial amount. After repaying Chen Ermao's gambling debt, he would have quite a bit left over.
This time, he still marked the location. However, he also knew that "lightning doesn't strike twice." The wild pheasants were unlikely to return again. He marked the spot mainly so he could collect the wild eggs later to supplement Qiaoer's nutrition.
But sometimes, reality is harsh. The next day, Chen Xiaobei, full of confidence, woke up early to sell the wild pheasants in the county town. However, he waited until almost noon and hadn't sold a single one.
The great benefactor from yesterday, Steward Cao, did not appear. Even Old Wu, who sold vegetables, felt a bit sorry for Chen Xiaobei.